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Policies and Procedures: Admission to Student Teaching
General Admission Criteria
Student teaching I (EDUC 337 or EDUC 338 for Early Childhood Education (ECE) or (EDUC 357 for all other majors); and II (EDUC 400) occurs during the last full year of enrollment prior to graduation and is considered the culminating experiences for students in teacher education program. Student Teaching I consists of 10 hours per week for 8-10 weeks. Student Teaching II consists of a 16 week full-time placement (520 hours) Students are not permitted to register for additional courses during Student teaching II.
1. Completed applications for Student Teaching I and II must be submitted to the Office of Clinical and Field Experiences prior to March 1st for the fall semester and by October 1st for the spring
semester. Applications and required forms for student teaching are available and submitted via our electronic data collection system (Taskstream).
2. Applications for Student Teaching I and II are reviewed by the Director of Clinical and Field Experiences and submitted to the Council for Professional Education for approval. Applicants will be
notified via email if the application for admission to student teaching has been:
a. approved; or
b. disapproved. If disapproved the reason for the decision will be included in the notification email.
Specific Admission Criteria for Student Teaching I and II
Criteria 1: Senior Status
Students must be classified as a senior to be eligible to apply for student teaching.
Criteria 2: Grade Point Average
Students must have a cumulative minimum grade point average of 2.5 and a "C" or better in the teaching area and in all courses taught by the Education Department. Students must also have a "C" or better in methods courses in the respective content area(s).
Criteria 3: Student Teaching Application Packet
Students must submit a senior status curriculum audit to the Clinical Office for review. This audit should be conducted and signed by the major advisor and department chair before October 15 (for spring semester) and March 15 (for fall semester). All courses listed on the curriculum sheet must be completed prior to student teaching.
Criteria 4: Prerequisites
No applicant will be permitted to student teach while on academic probation.
Other Requirements for Teacher Education Majors
Preparing for Student Teaching II
A. Admission to Student Teaching II
Students who plan to student teach must complete the student teaching application forms in Taskstream by:
March 1st to student teach in the following fall semester
October 1st to student teach in the following spring semester
Admission to Student Teaching-II requires the following:
Enrollment in the teacher education program in the College of Education, Health and Public Policy.
Admission to the teacher education program in a specific and approved content area.
Satisfactory senior academic standing (90 hours) with a minimum cumulative GPA 2.5 or higher.
All pre-education and methods level coursework must be completed prior to the student teaching semester. No additional coursework, other than courses associated with student teaching can be taken during the student teaching semester
Approval of the criminal background check, child protection registry and medical clearances.
Passing scores for the appropriate Praxis II exams on or before designated testing window.
Students who are seeking admission to the Student Teaching I and II at Delaware State University must satisfy all requirements set forth by the University and Department of Education. To ensure that these requirements are met, the student must complete a student teaching packet that includes the following:
Current Curriculum Sheet
Completed Junior/Senior Audits
Unofficial Transcript
Completed Course Substitution, Waiver, Equivalency Form(s)
Praxis II Content Area Scores (STII applications only)
Criminal Background Check
Child Protection Registry
TB Test Results
Physical Exam (STII applications only)
Delaware School District Preference Form
B. Criminal background check review
The Delaware Department of Education summarizes the University compliance and regulations for student interns. Students are responsible for submitting criminal background checks prior to any
practicum experiences as well as student teaching. Candidates should apply to an approved agency to obtain a state and federal background check. The agency will forward the results of the
background check to the Clinical Director for review. Please see the local agency address below.
State Police Bureau of Identification: 655 South Bay Road Dover, DE. 19901
All documents are due to the Office of Clinical and Field Experiences by: March 1st for fall placements and October 1st for spring placements via Taskstream upload.
C. Insurance
Students should show evidence of health insurance coverage (in accordance to University policy).
D. Placement
Students' geographic location preferences are taken into consideration but not guaranteed in making student teaching assignments.
Students will not be placed in setting in which members of their immediate family work (parents, grandparents, siblings).
Final determination of placements are at the discretion of the Director of Student Teaching and/or Chair of the Education Department.
Students are not to arrange their own placement for student teaching or other field experiences.
E. Transportation
Students are required to provide their own transportation or to make arrangements for transportation during student teaching and early field experiences.
Early Field Experiences (EFE)
Early field experiences are an important component of teacher preparation at Delaware State University. The goal is to provide prospective teacher candidates with the opportunity to examine teaching in practice prior to official entry into the Teacher Education Program. There are two components to the early field experiences program:
1. EFE - Students are placed in schools where they are allowed to observe experienced classroom teachers for a designated number of hours during the semester. These hours are requirements for
specific courses and vary from 10-40 hours depending upon the course.
2. Junior Practicum - Students are placed in schools where they are assigned a cooperating teacher who will supervise them as they assist in carrying out various classroom activities. Students also
practice pedagogical skills as they complete instructional tasks assigned by their clinical course instructors. Through observation as well as active participation in the teaching process alongside
professionals in the field, prospective teacher candidates are able to gain insight into the roles played by today’s teachers as they assess their readiness for the profession.
Students who participate in field experiences are required to maintain updated background checks and TB test clearances on file in the Clinical and Field Experiences office. These clearances must be submitted and received prior to the fall semester of each year that field placements are assigned.

If you experience an issue when entering Banner Self Service, contact Delaware State University IT Help Desk at 302.857.7028
If you experience a technical issue within ALEKS, contact ALEKS Higher Education Customer Support:
Hours (Eastern Time):
Sunday, 4:00pm to 1:00am
Monday - Thursday, 7:00am to 1:00am
​Friday, 7:00am to 9:00pm
Email: contact ALEKS
Telephone: 714.619.7090
Website: http://support.aleks.com/assess_placement
If you need to consult with someone prior to New Student Orientation, please contact DSU Admissions at 302.857.6351 or admissions@desu.edu.
If you have a financial aid question, please contact DSU Financial Aid at 302.857.6250 or faid@desu.edu.
If you need to contact University College, please send an email to Dr. Cassandra Green at cgreen@desu.edu or call 302.857.7201. Thank you.
If you have any questions about special accommodations (documentation required), please contact University College Testing Services and Programs.
Telephone: 302.857.6144
Email: testing@desu.edu
Website: http://www.desu.edu/academics/student-accessibility-services

New first-year students will be invited to attend a New Student Orientation (NSO) session at their campus of admission. You will speak with advisers during NSO who will discuss your ALEKS score, your academic interests, and your academic background with you. Advisers will help you schedule appropriate courses during orientation.
ALEKS is only available to new students. You must complete the placement assessment and at least one retake prior to attending NSO. You have a total of 4 retakes to place in the highest math class possible.
NSO for Spring 2017 is December 20, 2016
Access to the ALEKS placement assessment expires on December 12, 2016.
Access to the ALEKS Learning Modules expires at the end of the drop period.
DSU reserves the right to randomly select students to take the placement assessment on campus at through the University College Testing Services and Programs with a proctor.

Understanding Your Score
If you score at least 45 points then you are ready for college-level math courses. The chart below will show you the connection between the score you earned and the course you can take. Your advisor will help you select the right course for your major.
Remember, you will not be permitted to take a math course above your readiness level even if you are just one point away. So if you want to take a higher level course, use the ALEKS Prep and Learning Modules to improve your skills and take the ALEKS placement assessment again.
Minimum ALEKS Score
Courses you are permitted to take
Less than 30
No equivalent course. You cannot register for any math courses. To place in a math course, you must review the content in the Prep and Learning Module. Then retake the placement test and earn a score of 30 or higher.
30 - 44
MTSC 075 – Introduction to Algebra
This is a pre-college-level course. It provides students with a solid foundation in algebra and problem-solving skills need to move comfortably and confidently into college-level courses. Credits earned from this course do not count towards graduation.
40 - 47
MTSC 101 – Survey of Mathematics I
48 - 59
MTSC 102 – Survey of Mathematics II
45 - 60
MTSC 105 – Mathematics for Teachers I
45 - 59
MTSC 121 – College Algebra
45 - 52
MTSC 110 – College Algebra A
53 - 59
MTSC 111 – College Algebra B
60 - 75
MTSC 122 – Trigonometry
60 - 75
MTSC 125 – Finite Mathematics
76 - 100
MTSC 251 – Calculus I
76 - 100
MTSC 261 – Calculus for Life Sciences
76 - 100
MTSC 225 – Calculus for Business and Social Sciences
Your scores are valid for 9 months.
Improving Your Score
You may retake the assessment up to four times after using the Prep and Learning Modules to place in the highest math course possible. Most students improve their scores on each subsequent assessment. The fifth placement assessment is the final assessment available to you. To complete a retake, you must wait 48 hours between each placement assessment and spend at least 5 hours using the learning modules. Students who spend at least 15 hours in a learning module show the most improvement in their scores. There is generally no benefit to retaking the assessment immediately after completing a prior attempt. DSU reserves the right to randomly select students to take the placement assessment with a proctor, on campus through the University College Testing Services and Programs.

Sign-on to Banner Self Service with your D# and PIN
Click the Student Services TAB
Click the ALEKS Placement Assessment link
If you are not authorized to take the assessment you will get the message below. Otherwise you will be redirected to the ALEKS Website.
The first time you log into ALEKS you will answer a few survey questions and progress through a tutorial that will teach you how to enter your responses in the system. You will only see this series of pages before you take the first placement assessment.
Select No, I am new to ALEKS, then click Continue.
Review the terms, check the box and click Continue.
Click Continue.
Your registration is now complete. Click Continue to your ALEKS Class.
The next screen is an overview of the next steps. Click Get Started Now >>.

Introducing ALEKS
What is ALEKS?
ALEKS is an online artificially intelligent assessment and learning system. ALEKS uses adaptive questioning to quickly and accurately determine exactly what a student knows and doesn't know. The ALEKS Placement Assessment covers material from Basic Math through Precalculus. After the assessment, the Prep and Learning Module targeting your specific math skills is available for you to review and learn material, and to improve your placement.
The purpose of the assessment is so that you and your advisor know which math courses are best for you to take. Earning a score of 45 or higher means that you are ready to take college-level courses.
Who must take ALEKS?
ALEKS is for all new students…Freshmen or Transfer. The only exception is if you have already earned college-level credits in math. If you have not already earned college-level credits in math, then you must take ALEKS.
What if I’m not good at math?
Be honest about your skill level and do your best. There is no benefit to cheating on the placement assessment – your only reward will be that you are forced to take a class that is too difficult for your current level of mathematics knowledge. Therefore, while you are taking the assessment, do not consult any other source for help (friends, family, internet searches, etc.). The purpose of the placement assessment is to give an accurate measure of your current math skills so that you will be successful in your math courses. DSU’s honor code
When do I take ALEKS?
You’ll have to take it before we can schedule your classes. This means you’ll have to take it before New Student Orientation. Once classes begin, ALEKS is no longer available. Specific dates are provided on the link that says “Dates and Deadlines.”
How long will the assessment take?
You will be asked up to 30 questions. You should plan to complete the assessment in one 2-3 hour sitting. If you do not complete the assessment in one sitting, you will have 48 hours to complete it before the assessment is reset.
May I use a calculator or other resources while using ALEKS?
ALEKS will provide an on-screen calculator if you need one to complete a particular problem. Otherwise, you may NOT use a calculator, or any other resource (friends, family, internet searches, etc.).
How do I take the assessment?
Go to mydesu.edu, click on Banner Self Service and log in with your D# and Pin. Click on the Student tab and select the Placement link.
DSU reserves the right to randomly select students to take the placement assessment with a proctor, on campus through the University College Testing Services and Programs.